Unnecessary
by Aquen
Summary: He distanced himself, not wanting to get to close to them, not wanting them to do anything unnecessary.


_I like this couple, and wanted to write something for them. This is what I wrote... kind of random and weird but hey, it's something! :D_

**_Spoilers_****_: Hmm... when Kouichi's past is revealed._**

**_Disclaimer_****_: I do not own Nabari no Ou_**

* * *

Kouichi walked slowly down the side walk, leisurely, watching as two birds flitted around the branches of the trees lining the walkway. It had been a peaceful day, for a birthday. His friends seemed to have forgotten, though that didn't really bother him. They had made some weird cake, but Kouichi wasn't sure if it were for his birthday or not.

Not that he cared.

As it stood his parents would throw a small celebration but other than that the day of his birth would pass by unnoticed.

Not that it mattered; he had way too many birthdays that the day no longer had any special feelings. It was just another hollow day for one such as him.

"Kou-i-chi!" Raimei's perky fragmented call made Kouichi pause. He slowly turned toward her, giving the girl a smile as she bounded up to him.

"Raimei-san!" Raimei stopped before him cheerfully smirking. "I didn't expect to see you again."

"You left to quickly!" Raimei scolded. She hid her hands behind her back making Koichi a bit suspicious.

"Sorry, my parents are expecting me home a bit sooner!" Koichi laughed lightly. He hoped Raimei wouldn't do anything unnecessary.

"Doesn't matter." Raimei shrugged then produced a small wrapped box she had been hiding behind her back. "Here! A present!"

She was doing something unnecessary.

"Oh… thank you!" Kouichi took the present, holding it in his hand. He couldn't say he wasn't happy she was giving him a gift (she was a pretty girl after all) but neither did he want to get too attached…

He unwrapped it and opened the lid, Raimei fidgeted in place, excitedly waiting for him to see the present she had bought for him.

A little stuffed turtle keychain lay in the box. Kouichi stared, not really sure how to respond.

"I wasn't sure what to get." Raimei explained quickly as soon as Kouichi had seen what lay in the box. "So… well I just got something cute! I guess it doesn't really fit you… but it doesn't matter!" Raimei laughed waving her hand in the air as if to brush off the strange gift.

Kouichi smirked and put the lid back on the box. "Thank you Raimei-san, it's a nice gift."

Raimei blinked at his sincerity then gave a curt nod. "Yeah… I'm glad you like it."

There was a moment of silence.

"W-well, I'd better get going." Raimei turned suddenly and began to run back the direction she had come, turning momentarily to wave at him. "See you tomorrow!"

Kouichi waved back and nodded.

What a strange gift, he had no use for it, no use at all. And yet...

Kouichi smirked and slipped the present into his pocket.

What an interesting girl.

* * *

The turtle sat on the desk, laying there its little black stitched eye looking up at nothing.

Kouichi sat on his bed, reading some random book to pass time.

"Oi, bird." The window was suddenly thrust open, Shijima slinking in, landing on the floor with a thud, her cape flapping down around her.

"You shouldn't be here." Kouichi stated, not in the least unnerved by the sudden appearance. He had grown used to the girl's strange ways.

"Tch." Shijima muttered straightening up and brushing dirt from her cloths. "You don't tell me what to do."

"Why are you here?"

"It's about the Shinrabanshou."

"What about it."

Shijima sent a glare toward Kouichi then sighed. "Have you gotten any further in your searches?"

"No." Kouichi closed the book slowly, looking up at Shijima over the edge of it. "I've made a little headway; it's hard to uncover the secret of the Shinrabanshou while keeping my own secret."

"Whatever." Shijima growled sniffing through his room. "Is that all, or do you have anything else you can tell me. What about that sensei guy, or that samurai girl?"

"Tobari-sensei is part of the mystery; he may have something to do with the lost memories."

Shijima hopped up onto his desk chair and nodded. "And the samurai girl?"

Kouichi shook his head setting the book down beside him and swinging his feet onto the floor. "She is just a little girl who has gotten herself in to deep, she doesn't know anything."

"Anything else." Shijima poked the turtle, pressing against its dark soft shell.

"No."

"Then I should get back to Alya…" Shijima stayed put, continuing to poke the turtle.

"Shijima?"

"What is this?" Shijima swatted the turtle from the desk. It fell onto the floor rolling into the shell, stomach up. Shijima watched it curiously. "I'd never think of you having something… 'cute'."

"It's a present." Kouichi replied tonelessly.

"From your parents?"

"A friend."

"A friend." Shijima echoed and jumped down from the chair leaping upon the turtle like a cat on a mouse. She held it up, sniffed it once more, then through it toward the waste basket. It hit the rim and fell onto the floor beside the basket.

"It's a piece of trash." Shijima muttered then sauntered over to the window jumping up onto the ledge. "Oi, Kouichi." She turned back, her golden eyes twinkling like an animals. "Don't forget our objective."

She slipped out of the window disappearing into the dark night. Kouichi sighed and stood shutting the window and locking it back up. He shuffled over to the desk picking up the loose sheaves of paper.

He was so busy, juggling school and the Nabari world. He went through his mental to-do list, busying himself, pushing Shijima and her warning from his mind.

The turtle lay on the ground pitifully on his back. Kouichi ignored it, gathering his school papers and getting prepared for the next day.

Finally when everything was done Kouichi stood before the waste basket, staring down at the turtle. He was still a moment, looking down at the small plush turtle tummy. Slowly he reached out and picked it up holding it over the wastebasket.

It was unnecessary. Why would he need such a weird trinket? Raimei would never mind if he threw it out, she wouldn't remember giving it to him; she forgot about him most of the times anyway.

He let it go, it fell amongst the crumbled up pages and pencil shavings. With that Kouichi turned then hesitated, glancing back at the turtle.

It was unnecessary, a useless trinket…

He stared at it, its stitched eyes staring back up at him from the waste. Heaving a large sigh Kouichi snatched it up and set it back onto the desk pushing it behind his notebooks and textbooks.

He didn't need it, it was unnecessary.

But sometimes that was fine.

* * *

_Could have been better, could have explained what Kouichi felt better, both Raimei and Shijima seemed to pop up randomly... and Raimei's gift could have been something more creative/realistic... but just imagining a cute little turtle key chain was just to great that I just couldn't bear to swap that little guy with anything else :3_


End file.
